TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will pay an official visit to the United States this week. He will hold a summit with President Joe Biden aimed at securing a major upgrade to their defense alliance.
He will also participate in a first-ever summit of U.S., Japanese and Philippine leaders in Washington to showcase their cooperation in the face of an increasingly assertive China.
The Associated Press explains the significance of Kishida’s visit and the two summits.
The biggest event during the weeklong trip is his summit with Biden on Wednesday. Kishida hopes to further strengthen the alliance as China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific grows.
Kishida is also trying to reach the American public to highlight Japan’s contribution to the American economy and ensure stable relations regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election later this year.
Kishida, who has implemented sweeping changes to strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities since taking office in 2021, will emphasize that Japan and the US are now global partners working to maintain a rules-based international order, and that Japan is ready to strengthen to take on an international role. in security, economics and space to help Washington.
Expanding cooperation in weapons equipment and technology between the two countries and other like-minded partners is also of great importance, Kishida told selected media, including AP, on Friday.
Kishida, plagued by a corruption scandal, needs a successful visit to the US to boost low support figures at home.
As state guest, Kishida will be welcomed at an arrival ceremony at the White House on the South Lawn, a formal state dinner and other official events. He is Biden’s fifth state guest, who has also hosted leaders of India, Australia, South Korea and France, underscoring the US focus on security partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.
Kishida is the first Japanese leader to make a state visit since Shinzo Abe in 2015. Abe has significantly revised the interpretation of Japan’s pacifist constitution, making the principle of exclusive self-defense also applicable to its ally, the United States.
Defense is at the top of the agenda due to growing concerns about threats from China, North Korea and Russia. Chinese coast guard ships regularly approach disputed Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea near Taiwan. Beijing says Taiwan is part of its territory and will be brought under control by force if necessary.
There are also concerns about North Korean nuclear and missile threats and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kishida has warned that war in Europe could lead to conflict in East Asia, suggesting that a lax attitude towards Russia emboldens China.
“While we maintain the Japan-US alliance as a cornerstone, we believe it is important to work together with like-minded countries, including the Philippines,” Kishida said.
Biden and Kishida are expected to agree on a plan to modernize their military command structures so they can better operate together. America stations 50,000 troops in Japan. The Japan Self-Defense Force is preparing to restructure to have a unified command for ground, air and naval forces by March 2025.
New defense industry cooperation initiatives are also expected, including the co-production of weapons, possibly a new missile, and the repair and maintenance of U.S. warships and other equipment in Japan to support U.S. operations in the western part of support the Pacific Ocean.
Japan’s possible participation in a security partnership between the US, Britain and Australia to develop and share advanced military capabilities, including artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and hypersonics, could also be discussed.
Kishida and Biden are also expected to endorse Japan’s participation in NASA’s Artemis moon program and the contribution of a Toyota Motor Corp.-sponsored project. developed lunar rover and the inclusion of a Japanese astronaut will confirm. The rover, which will cost about $2 billion, is the most expensive contribution yet to the mission from a non-U.S. partner, a U.S. official said.
Since adopting a more comprehensive National Security Strategy in 2022, Kishida’s government has taken bold steps to accelerate Japan’s military buildup. He hopes to show that Tokyo is capable of improving security cooperation with the US. Kishida has pledged to double defense spending and increase deterrence against China, which Japan views as a top security threat.
Japan, which is working to acquire what it calls a “counterstrike” capability, has bought 400 American Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles. After banning almost all arms transfers, it has relaxed export guidelines twice in recent months, banning sales of lethal weapons to countries that licensed them and overseas sales of a fighter jet it jointly shares with Britain and Italy develops is allowed. The changes have allowed Japan to ship Japanese-made PAC-3 missiles to the US to replace the missiles Washington contributed to Ukraine.
The first-ever trilateral summit between Biden, Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. comes at a time when the Philippines faces escalating maritime tensions with China over its disputed claims to the South China Sea.
Biden wants to show that the three maritime democracies are united as they face aggressive Chinese action against the Philippine Coast Guard and its supply ships for the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, a senior Biden administration official said.
Japan has sold coastal radars to the Philippines and is now negotiating a defense deal that would allow their forces to visit each other’s turf for joint military exercises.
The trilateral comes eight months after Biden hosted a meeting with leaders from Japan and South Korea at Camp David.
“Cooperation among our three countries is extremely important in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and in defending a free and open international order based on the rules of law,” Kishida said Monday before leaving for Washington.
Kishida also wants to highlight Japan’s economic contributions in the US. There is growing uncertainty in Tokyo about the US election, reflected in questions about what happens if former President Donald Trump wins, although experts say there is bipartisan consensus on a stronger US-Japan alliance .
Kishida will meet with industry leaders and visit Toyota’s electric vehicle battery plant under construction for a planned 2025 launch, and Honda’s business jet subsidiary in North Carolina. He also meets with students from North Carolina State University on Friday.
In his convention speech on Thursday, Kishida said he plans to convey “what Japan and the United States want to pass on to future generations and what we must do for them.”